Yeah, both Joe and Pete were great Judo guys and fierce shiai’ers. I took over Jerry Reid’s Judoclass at Carswell in 1967 just before he retired from the AF. However, I was gone so much TDY on the mobile simulator the class did not last and I sent all the calls to Ace’s club. Ace and Dale did fight, but only in open class– Ace was my weight then (140) and Dale was at least a ton J As was Jerry,both heavy open weight guys.

Nelson Cross, a huge guy larger than Geesink. He passed away some years back. A nicer person you could not meet. In the photo were some of my Okinawa Judo buds; Robey Reed, Rich Witcher, Bob Coffey, Jimmy Jarvis, Dean Tower, Paul Schaeffer, Tosh Seino and more I can’t place now. The good old days in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Hum,those Turchiano's brothers never seemed to bother me. We were cut from the same sensei’s. Not to worry, at our age most of those guys in that photo are at room temperature.

You mentioned the Ft. Worth Judo Academy; was that Ace’s club? When were youthere?

Yeah, both Joe and Pete were great Judo guys and fierce shiai’ers. I took over Jerry Reid’s Judoclass at Carswell in 1967 just before he retired from the AF. However, I was gone so much TDY on the mobile simulator the class did not last and I sent all the calls to Ace’s club. Ace and Dale did fight, but only in open class– Ace was my weight then (140) and Dale was at least a ton J As was Jerry,both heavy open weight guys.

Nelson Cross, a huge guy larger than Geesink. He passed away some years back. A nicer person you could not meet. In the photo were some of my Okinawa Judo buds; Robey Reed, Rich Witcher, Bob Coffey, Jimmy Jarvis, Dean Tower, Paul Schaeffer, Tosh Seino and more I can’t place now. The good old days in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Hum,those Turchiano's brothers never seemed to bother me. We were cut from the same sensei’s. Not to worry, at our age most of those guys inthat photo are at room temperature.

I knew that Dale and Ace fought in open only, Ace was a little guy like me.

Of that list I know/have met Robey Reed down in Florida, years ago, at a shiai he used to hold.

Ben

Falling for Judo since 1980

"You are wrong. Why? Because you move like a pregnant yak and talk like a spazzing 'I train UFC' noob." -DCS

"The best part of getting you worked up is your backpack full of irony and lies." -It Is Fake

"Banning BKR is like kicking a Quokka. It's foolishness of the first order." - Raycetpfl

Sometimes when I see those old photos it nearly brings a tear to my eyes. We were close friends thru thick and thin. I hear Robey is now in bad health. We used to call him "Mr Fancy Pants Judo." He was especially amenable to breaking the rules; like flying arm bars, flipping chokes and other weird stuff.

I got an e-mail from Seino a few months back inviting me to the old folks Judo luncheon! We yakked a little about the time I signed up for his weight class just to see an up close uchimata. He accommodated me :) Wow, that was either 1960 or 61.......

Several of us still keep in touch. My old bud, Robby Robinson who lives in Pensacola drove down to spend Christmas with us and we ended up as usual BS'ing about all those old friends. He will be 77, I'm not that far behind him......

I have been playing judo since i finally found a judo class on offutt AFB in 1959.it pays to have the sac commender as a sho Dan(honorary probably).great djo and all.and i had what i consider a great sensei (Emilio Bruno)got his shoDan from Dr.Kano himself.and one of the instructors was capt Philip porter.he was good,but a complete hairy end of a gut.I know "don't speak ill of the dead"but i felt that way since 1959

Some gal, Judy from Offutt AFB, sent me some old and interesting Judo literature a week back. Neat reading of our old days. Mel passed on a few years ago, he was good people. His step daddy was one of my sesnei in the mid-1960's and I was out to see his son, Roy Jr, a few year ago. He is still working out! I miss the old days, expecially when I was young and didn't know better.